Veteran speedster WR Sammy Watkins leads group of 4 Colts tryouts
INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts tried out a handful of players Monday, led by a former star Indianapolis has looked at signing before.
Indianapolis tried out veteran wide receiver Sammy Watkins, former Colt Ethan Fernea, former Dolphins and Panthers offensive tackle Larnel Coleman and former Bears guard Lachavious Simmons.
The Colts have taken a look at Watkins before.
The veteran receiver visited Indianapolis during the 2021 offseason, taking a look at the Colts as the team went through negotiations with T.Y. Hilton, who ultimately ended up re-signing.
Colts news: How are the Colts handling their travel to Germany for game vs. the Patriots?
Watkins, drafted with the No. 5 pick in 2014, has plenty of experience. The veteran burner has played nine seasons in the NFL, making 364 catches for 5,384 yards and 34 touchdowns.
But his inconsistency and injury issues have also made him a roaming weapon the past couple of seasons. Watkins spent his most productive seasons in the first three years of his career in Buffalo, then played a season with the Rams, three with the Chiefs, a season with the Ravens, half a season with Green Bay last year and then a return to Baltimore at the end of the year.
Watkins still had the ability to get deep last season, averaging 20.3 yards on 16 catches with the Ravens and Packers, although he didn’t have a touchdown.
Indianapolis might need some help at wide receiver. Colts rookie Josh Downs left Sunday’s win over Carolina early because of a knee injury suffered in practice last week, and his availability for this week’s game against the Patriots game in Germany is up in the air.
“He was dealing with (the injury) during the week,” Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen said.
Fernea, an undrafted free agent from UCLA, spent the 2022 season with the Colts, playing in one game, then suffered a knee injury in training camp this year and was waived from the roster halfway through training camp with an injury designation.
Coleman has spent two years in the NFL with the Dolphins and Panthers, mostly on the practice squads of the two teams; Simmons, a seventh-round pick by the Bears in 2020, spent most of his time on Chicago’s practice squad, although he did play in one game as a COVID replacement in 2020.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts tryouts: Veteran speedster WR Sammy Watkins leads group of 4
